A mental health charity says a rise in hospital admissions for young people in Wales who self-harm is alarming.

Paula Lavis of YoungMinds said the true scale of self-harming could be far greater.

The figures were revealed in a study monitoring young people's wellbeing, which also showed smoking and drinking among teenagers is declining steadily.

The assembly government said the research will inform future policy.

The wide-ranging 2011 Children and Young People's Wellbeing Monitor for Wales is an attempt to pull together information on all aspects of children's lives.

Examining existing data on issues such as education, health and tackling poverty, and conducting surveys, it covers the lives of Welsh children from birth until the age of 25.

'Tip of the iceberg'

Hospital admissions for self-harm in Wales have increased, particularly among 15-17-year-old girls, from approximately 650 incidents per 100,000 people in 2003-2005 to about 900 per 100,000 in 2006-2008.

Paula Lavis said: "These figures highlight how big an issue self-harming is among some young people.

To read more http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13268255

also covered at http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=16208